Michigan is home to 465 bee species and each one plays a role in the states’ ecosystems.
Michigan is home to 465 bee species and each one plays a role in the states’ ecosystems. During a 15-year study of wild bees visiting blueberry fields during their blooming season, researchers caught an unexpected glimpse of how extreme weather events can impact bee populations highlighting the need for more long-term studies, says a Michigan State University researcher.
“There are few bee studies in the U.S. that have sampled bees for many years at the same location,” said Rufus Isaacs, a professor in the Department of Entomology within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, “There are even fewer that use the same methods over more than a decade.”
The research was published May 8 in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.
Isaacs worked with Kelsey Graham, a former postdoctoral researcher who is now with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service. Graham collected bees during the last sampling period and combined data from two former MSU students into the analysis.
Read more at Michigan State University
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